Tag Archive for: George Baker

Get It back to defend Stewards’ Cup title for Baker

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George Baker will be the proudest man on the Sussex Downs when his star sprinter Get It defends his Coral Stewards’ Cup crown at Goodwood on Saturday.

The seven-year-old blazed a trail for a shock 40-1 success 12 months ago and after a similar story in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot when again making all, the speedster is out to continue his rich vein of form off a career-high mark.

“I didn’t think we would win a Wokingham off 100 and do I think we will win a Stewards’ Cup off 104? Well it’s a massive ask,” said Baker on the task at hand.

“But these sprinters, when they get in a good place and it’s their time, you just have to roll with them.

“It’s such a dull cliché but he genuinely owes us nothing. To saddle him with a Stewards’ Cup and Wokingham already under his belt is a massive thrill and privilege, but if he could add another chapter it would be extraordinary.”

Goodwood was hit with a deluge on Thursday, but Baker is praying for drying conditions ahead of Saturday’s feature event to allow his thriving speedball to notch another notable success.

“I hope we don’t see any more rain until Saturday evening and he enjoys it when it’s rattling fast, so he’ll be fine on good ground but we don’t want it soft,” continued Baker.

Get It after winning at Goodwood last year
Get It after winning at Goodwood last year (Andrew Matthews/PA)

“There’s nothing we can do about the weather though and we’ll take our chances unless it will be really horrible.

“The higher we go up the handicap, the closer we are to running in Group races and we’re on the cusp of that now. It will be tough but a sprinter in a good place can be a potent force.”

Joining Get It towards the top of the betting markets is Kevin Ryan’s Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes runner-up Hammer The Hammer and William Haggas’ Elmonjed, who is out to defy a 6lb penalty after landing a competitive heat at York only last Saturday.

Haggas said: “It’s not ideal running him under the penalty. He was only put up 3lb yet he’s carrying 6lb more here.

“But he’s clearly in form, he loves a fast pace and I just hope we’re on the right side (stall eight).

“At the moment no one knows where you want to be. Nobody knows.

“I remember one year James Fanshawe never turned up for the draw, they put his horse (Zidane in 2007) back in the hat and gave him the last stall and he came out and won, so there are no rules.”

Another quickly returned to the track under a 6lb penalty after notable success last weekend is Richard Spencer’s Two Tribes, who has convinced his handler to try six furlongs once again after landing the International Handicap over seven at Ascot.

“He’s not got a bad draw, drawn high (25), and he’s fresh and well after his win last week,” said Spencer.

Two Tribes winning at Ascot
Two Tribes winning at Ascot (John Walton/PA)

“He’s run well over six furlongs before and this is a very big pot. The penalty last week ensured him a run and he came out of Ascot really well. I know I said we wouldn’t go for this race and run over six again, but we’re going to throw our hat in the ring on Saturday and hopefully he can run well.”

Two Tribes is part of a three-strong hand for the Newmarket trainer, with Spencer also calling upon Run Boy Run and experienced Group performer Twilight Calls.

Spencer said: “Run Boy Run has a high enough draw (19) hopefully and he’s going to have a visor on which is something I’ve been waiting to do on a run over six furlongs not seven. He’s got a good each-way chance and with the visor on, there could be some improvement from him.

“Hopefully Twilight Calls gets a good tow into the race and could run well as he did very well in the Wokingham off a higher mark and all three have got sort of chances.”

Get It makes all for Wokingham win

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Get It just held on to deny the fast-finishing big-race favourite More Thunder after making every yard in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot.

An all-the-way winner of the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood last year, George Baker’s seven-year-old arrived at the Royal meeting having broken the track record from the front over course and distance last month.

Sent off at 28-1 in the hands Seamie Heffernan, he was away quickly leading the majority of the field up the centre of the track and although William Haggas’ 3-1 market leader More Thunder was weaving his way through the field to challenge late on, Get It had enough up his sleeve to deliver a head verdict.

“He broke Blue Point’s record here six weeks ago and that was a great thrill – and it got us into this race,” said Baker.

“Seamie has given him a peach. All credit to Pat Cosgrave who, annoyingly, is banned. Pat has been the making of this horse and a great, great friend of mine and I’d love Patsy to be riding him obviously because we’ve had a lot of fun along the way – but what a wonderful substitute in Seamie.

“He breezed the horse a couple of times in Bahrain, loved him, and he did what Patsy always does. Let him burn out of the stalls and then he’ll come back to you and then he’ll go again.

“When he was still in front two furlongs out and they were coming, I knew he would go again. But that last furlong took about three days! What a horse. He’s danced a lot of dances and has been an absolute superstar for us.”

Quai De Bethune got up in the very last stride to to deny favourite backers in the Golden Gates Stakes.

Ralph Beckett’s Seraph Gabriel was all the rage as the 11-4 market leader following an eyecatching comeback run at Sandown, and he looked set to oblige after quickening up from the rear to grab the lead under Rossa Ryan.

However, the Andrew Balding-trained 12-1 chance Quai De Bethune came from even further back in the hands of Oisin Murphy and while there was little to choose between the pair passing the post, the judge confirmed Balding’s charge had got up by a nose.

“I’m very pleased. We’ve had this race in mind for him for a good while now, but you need everything to go right,” said the Kingsclere handler.

“He was given an outstanding ride and we just got the margins at the end of the race.”

The Queen Alexandra Stakes brings Royal Ascot to a close and not for the first time it was Willie Mullins who sent punters home happy, with odds-on favourite Sober sauntering to a facile victory under Ryan Moore.

A multiple winner in France for Andre Fabre before making a successful hurdling debut for Mullins at Killarney last month, the six-year-old was a 4-5 shot for his return to the Flat and after cantering all over his rivals, he pulled five lengths clear with the minimum of fuss.

Mullins, winning the race for a fifth time, said: “We bought this horse and he has surprised us; he’s improved a lot more than I thought he would.

“We will aim for the Melbourne Cup – this was stage one. There are a lot of hoops to jump through, but we’ll get them done.”